Dec. 13, 2017
HARRISBURG – Working to bring much-needed changes to the state budget process, Rep. Matthew Dowling (R-Fayette/Somerset) this week supported a package of bills that aims to control state spending and improve transparency and accountability.
“After participating in just one budget cycle at the state Capitol, it is abundantly clear the process is broken,” Dowling said. “Harrisburg can’t vote to spend money the Commonwealth doesn’t have, and it can’t keep going back to the taxpayers – be they individuals, families or employers – and expect them to foot the bill for big government.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to have a realistic discussion about the state’s finances with a governor who insists on putting forth unaffordable, pie-in-the-sky budget proposals each year. These bills should help to change that,” he added.
A major component of the package is
House Bill 110, which is authored by Dowling’s fellow Fayette County lawmaker, Rep. Ryan Warner (R-Fayette/Westmoreland). The bill proposes to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to establish spending caps on taxpayer dollars, which would be based on prior year spending, adjusted by the sum of the average percentage change in the Consumer Price Index and population change over the three preceding years. This spending limit could be increased only with a three-fourths vote of the General Assembly. As a constitutional amendment, the legislation must be passed twice by the General Assembly in consecutive legislative sessions, and then approved by a voter referendum.
Dowling said another key proposal, House Bill 1940, would close a loophole that has allowed out-of-balance budgets to become law because the governor has failed to sign an official revenue estimate indicating whether sufficient funds exist to pay for it.
“I voted against this year’s spending plan for a number of reasons, but first and foremost, it was because it spent money we did not have,” Dowling said. “Ultimately, a ‘revenue plan’ to fund the budget wasn’t approved until October. That is NOT responsible budgeting, and it’s a practice that has to stop.”
Other bills in the package include:
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House Bill 1941, which would set reasonable time limits on budgetary waivers before unused funds are returned to the State Treasury. Currently, funds can lapse indefinitely.
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House Bill 1942, which would require the Secretary of the Budget in December of a fiscal year to determine if revenues will fall short of the official estimate, and if so, by how much. That amount of funding would then have to be placed in budgetary reserve to avoid ending the fiscal year with a deficit. The 2016-17 fiscal year ended with a $1.5 billion deficit, with the administration continuing to spend money it knew was not there.
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House Bill 1943, which would make special funds – those funds with a dedicated source of revenue to be used for a specific purpose – more transparent, open and accountable.
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House Bill 1944, which would require annual reports to show the cost of state and federal mandates by the administration, including funds used as federal matching funds, and which are entitlements. This legislation would also require the governor to present legislative language in the annual budget proposal process, which is intended to address the fact that substantial portions of the governor’s February 2017 budget proposal were never presented to the Legislature in legislative form.
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House Bill 1945, which would require the administration to submit a statement of the need for supplemental appropriation and recommendations for cost-savings or other reforms which address the cause of the need for the supplemental appropriation.
Dowling noted he also supported Act 48 of 2017, the Performance-Based Budget Act, which will require performance-based recommendations and reviews by the Independent Fiscal Office and an independent board to enhance and improve budget development and decision-making associated with the annual budget process. The reviews will look at state agencies and make recommendations to make operations and programs more transparent, effective and efficient.
“Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve better than what they have been getting when it comes to the annual state budget,” Dowling said. “The changes approved by the House this week will go a long way toward fixing this broken process.”
Each of the bills now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Representative Matthew Dowling
51st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Patricia A. Hippler
717.772.9846
phippler@pahousegop.com
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